If you google “cranberry hole road” you see multiple real-estate listings and maybe a website or two for builders that are extremely proud of houses they have built there. But if you ask someone that “knows” the east end, they will tell you stories about fishermen they know that launch from there, maybe a couple that store gear there as well, but the coolest stories are about what the air does here.

With very flat and guarded waters and limited boat traffic, this is a great place for water sports, but being on the north of the South Fork makes for some pretty badass winds. For some of us who are crazy enough to strap on a very large kite (more like a small parachute) and grab a kite board (very similar to a wake board) this is mecca. But as it goes, we wanted to try something new. Sit on top kayak already on my truck + kite already strapped on = Why the hell not?!?!?!

Knees, that’s why not, when you get a big wind and get pulled 15 to 30 feet in the air, it is an amazing feeling. And when you land, your knees are bent at the perfect angle with supporting muscles and tendons all working as a big spring to land you at the perfect angle to keep gliding on the water. The butt and back do not bend like this in the seating position and when I hit the water from 20 feet up, I felt like I was thrown out of a building. Dumb? Yes! But we did reach speeds of over 30 knots in a kayak, so it was well worth it. If you have ever wanted to try kite boarding (or do now), call my buddy Walker Brock, an innovator of the sport and owner of SKYWALK; he can have almost anyone moving through the water before the day is over.

SkyWalk Kiteboarding

The Fish Farm, Napeague

If you do not want to walk on air, but still want to see a cool unknown part of the unhamptons, take this cool little road and stop by my favorite hidden eatery, the Fish Farm. Really neat little take out place right at the old fish factory that has more character than I could ever try to explain. Make sure to take drinks though, they have limited water and sodas (BYOB) and usually sell out very fast.

When paddle boarding or kayaking is not taking care of my water fix, I head for the waves. I love waves; especially on Long Island. I have surfed a few really big and a couple of dangerous swells around the world, but there is something extra special about the weightlessness of surfing on the east end.

I do not have a board anymore... Not sure why, except my last custom balsa board was trashed at Cyclops off the Esperance Coast of Australia and the airline lost my Xanadu Step Off. How odd that they did not lose the broken one; it will look cool in my garage one day.

No worries… I do not concern myself with splinters or airline mistakes, I call Main Beach Surf and Sport (MBX); they rent some great epoxy boards and wet suits (they also have soft tops for the less salted surfers) or I call to meet them where they are doing lessons. They do have some great classes as well as private or family lessons; a smart thing to do if you haven’t surfed the area before.

I will have some videos for you soon, but until then check out the video from MBX’s surf camp. It will have you thinking you are on the west coast or in a private area of Maui… I find it odd how many people visit the hamptons but never see our water, our sand, or taste our salt… They are missing the real experience.

Next week - Jumping, crashing, almost dying at the end of Cranberry Hole Rd.

I do not always have the time to pack all of my gear for water sports so I have Weekend Warrior Tours set up my kayaking and Stand Up paddle boarding. They also make it very easy for me to invite friends and family from out of town. I love the feeling when you pull up to the launch site and all of the yaks are ready to go. Maybe I like the idea we can leave right away, maybe because I see the packed lunches and coolers, or maybe its because I know I do not have to clean up or pack when we get back…

We got lucky this week… Stars aligned, the moon was just right and schedules worked out for us to get a full day to spend with our niece and nephew.

I wanted to make it a special and exciting one, so we started out with Khanh’s new place, Ngo Limits, for mini golf, and then took a bike ride to the park for lunch from Luigi’s. Their focaccia sandwiches are the best (try the F17 and add avocado).

We ended the night with a pre-set up clambake on the beach (East Hampton really is an eating destination). Stuart’s puts together clambakes (WITH LOBSTER) and even provides a pot to steam it all in. The kids LOVED the steam corn, potatoes, clams, and lobster because “it was cool Uncle J”; we loved it because it was as local as possible, and fresh as you can get it. If we could not cook them, they offered to cook them and even crack open the lobster for us. These will definitely become a regular thing for us…